Digital Agency Experience Required
Signal – a digital marketing agency in Raleigh, NC – has an opening for an experienced Account Manager to manage accounts and coordinate digital marketing projects. The position is responsible for the day-to-day activities and production of all project-related tasks for assigned clients. The Account Manager reports to the VP, Client Services working closely with and in support of Account Executives as well as Signal’s creative and technical staff to ensure the production of great work, on schedule and on budget. Experience with Basecamp and other project management tools is a plus. This position will also work directly with the President of Signal on digital projects including: SOW creation, client meetings and project management

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

Ability to listen to, guide and counsel clients in all things related to marketing communications

SUMMARY & ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The Account Manager is responsible for the client relationships, the day-to-day activities and production of all project-related tasks for specified clients, including but not limited to the following:

Properly traffic all stages of projects from initial job entry through final deliverables ensuring on-time delivery. This includes all feedback, changes, and approvals from client.

Helps ensure all quality control procedures and standards are met.

Maintain and distribute current and accurate legal specifications where necessary.

Assist with digital marketing initiatives and brand strategies.

Assist with generating and submission of invoicing as required.

Assist with tracking and follow-up on current and past due receivables as required.

Monitor production of finished products by coordinating all necessary milestones to ensure finished product meets or exceeds client expectations.

Responsible for daily communications with clients and Signal staff that includes written and/or oral communications related to all projects and business activities. This will include, but not be limited to, coordinating client meetings as needed, writing and distributing follow-up conference reports.

Develop a good rapport with clients and assist in maintaining good client relationships.

Responsible for having a basic knowledge of rules and regulations related to clients’ industries and an understanding of Signal’s Scope of Work agreement with clients.

Become part of a tight-knit business family of strategists, designers, writers and technologists who have a great time working together. Excellent Brier Creek location, convenient to I-540.

SALARY AND BENEFITS

Salary commensurate with experience. Benefits include health insurance and short-term disability with paid premiums, dental insurance, paid holidays and vacation, and a company matching IRA plan. If you’re interested in this position, please email a cover letter and resume to jobs@signalinc.com. No phone calls, please.

]]>Many inbound marketers use gated content to generate leads. The idea, of course, is that you offer to give something (a tasty piece of content) and get something in return (valuable information to help you qualify and reach out to leads). Recently, the Signal team enjoyed a vigorous discussion on the old but important question: Should content be gated or not?

Our conclusion: there’s no wrong answer. There are potential challenges and opportunities with either path. This post gives you the highlights of our conversation – and will help you figure out the right approach for your organization.

Ask the Right Questions

Whether or not you gate your content depends on many factors, including your business, audience and strategy. The goal is to get consumers through the sales funnel (or for non-profits, the giving funnel) by building up trust, engagement and loyalty. Some customers want to be convinced and will consider your content valuable enough to offer their information in return. Other customers will bolt if you make the process difficult.

And in an era of the cloud and social media, if you don’t give prospects relevant information to help them engage or buy, they’ll just get it elsewhere – probably from a competitor or a non-expert within their circle of influence. This is especially true of millennials.

We think that asking smart questions helps inform your gating approach. The more “yes” answers you give, the more appropriate gated content may be.

Do you have the resources to produce compelling content?

Is the content you’re offering valuable enough to ask for a name and email (or more) in return?

Do you have the resources to drive enough traffic to the content to make it worthwhile?

Do you have marketing software to start developing profiles on visitors?

Do you have sales/marketing teams who are trained on – and willing to use – their marketing software/CRM to work the leads?

Is your potential audience on the early end of the funnel, just starting to investigate you?

Mix It Up With the Content Pillar Approach

The Signal team liked the idea of an organization’s having a balance of gated and ungated content – known as the content pillar approach, defined as:

“A substantive and informative piece of content on a specific topic or theme which can be broken into many derivative sections, pieces, and materials. Examples of content pillars include eBooks, reports, and guides.”

It’s all about supporting your meaty central “pillar” of gated content (such as a white paper) with related, lighter ungated pieces (blog posts, videos). Customers enter the funnel through the ungated pieces, which drive traffic to the pillar content and to the gate that helps up the chances of converting traffic into leads.

Stats, tips, quotes, or ideas shared via social media posts on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or other social media

Free preview chapters or sections of eBooks

“Micrographics,” small infographics focusing on one or two key points, or excerpted segments from a gated infographic – or even gifographics that show movement

Blog posts that focus on issues discussed in just one section of your premium content offer

List posts that cover the main issues discussed in your gated content offer at a high level

If your gated content includes any assets like a checklist, table or worksheet, consider providing either a portion of the asset or the entire thing as an ungated resource

Final Thoughts

The smart approach is to assess the needs of your audience and target content specifically to that audience – then offer it to them in the format they need it. Gate when it makes sense, but lean towards open access to cast the widest net possible.

]]>This Global Insights sales enablement tool uses data visualization to make GE marketing intelligence more accessible and useful to their sales teams. Accessing a secure login, users can slice and dice data by product category and geography – for example, figures on renewable wind energy in France – in order to develop insights and sell more effectively.

]]>http://signalinc.com/global-insights-sales-enablement-tool/feed/0Sweetwater Community Campaignhttp://signalinc.com/sweetwater-community-campaign/
http://signalinc.com/sweetwater-community-campaign/#respondThu, 06 Oct 2016 12:18:49 +0000http://signalinc.com/?p=6071BACKGROUND ExperienceOne Homes is an award-winning builder company recognized for building premier neighborhoods throughout the Triangle area. As a Signal client for over 10 years, they called on us to […]

ExperienceOne Homes is an award-winning builder company recognized for building premier neighborhoods throughout the Triangle area. As a Signal client for over 10 years, they called on us to design an awareness campaign to introduce their new Sweetwater community in Apex, NC to prospective residents.

SIGNAL SOLUTION

Marketing

Signal started by creating key messages for the new Sweetwater community, including a tagline and evocative phrases. The team also created the logo for the new community, capturing the elements of nature, beauty and balance. Signal designed a comprehensive presentation to introduce Sweetwater – and all of its many features and benefits – to the Town of Apex. We also created email templates, cut sheets, home expo posters, local event deliverables, a Facebook page – as well as a local new home guide front cover ad and interior spread.

Microsite

The Signal team created a dedicated microsite, for the new community. The website was designed to introduce Sweetwater to potential new home buyers interested in a balanced life, encouraging them to “step into a sweeter place.” The site showcases the community’s “neo-traditional” development style, highlighting the appeal of shopping and dining within walking distance, as well as nature trails, pocket parks and a state-of-the art community center.

Each element – from copy to design to photography – was created to convey the charm of Sweetwater. Friendly, conversational copy, modern images, earthy colors, and weathered wood used as a design element. Interactive features on the site allow potential buyers to review all available home styles and floor plans – as well as site and vicinity maps and information.

Environmental

Signal also designed and delivered a number of environmental graphics, including a community sign package and highway sign to point the way to Sweetwater.

]]>Grab a life jacket! Your customers are swimming in data and information. Every minute, email users send more than 200 million messages while Facebook users share nearly 2.5 million pieces of content – and that’s just two channels. You can help your message break through by appealing to our natural “visual wiring” with interactive storytelling.

Research shows that powerful visual techniques make your message much more engaging, accessible and persuasive. Here are a handful of awesome examples to inspire you.

]]>Maintaining and growing your mailing list is an essential part of your business – at least it should be. Unfortunately, email lists frequently fall into an auto-pilot mode. Here are some proactive ways to keep the efforts moving in the right direction.

1. Use pop-up newsletter prompts.

Despite what your gut and common sense may tell you, newsletter signup prompts do work. I’ve seen “light box” pop-ups tested over and over again across a long list of websites, and they reliably result in more signups, increased revenue and higher engagement rates. A recent study from eConsultancy reports that an average overlay will increase opt-ins by up to 400%!

2. Sell the value.

You’ll end up with a certain number of website visitors opting in to your mailing list out of habit, because they like your brand, by accident, or just because. For everyone else, you need to explain the benefits of doing so. Don’t just say “Sign up for our newsletter” and leave it at that – make sure you’re effectively communicating what’s in it for them. Is it exclusive deals? Is it high-quality content? Is it authoritative industry news?

3. Try creative technology.

There are plenty of commonplace signup tools out there, but getting creative with how your prompt functions is a great way to boost opt-ins. As a creative example, BounceExchange displays an overlay when the cursor nears the browser’s back or close button. Since this is a novel interactive effect, it’s very effective in grabbing attention.

4. Test, test, test.

Like any critical piece of your website, your email opt-in strategies should be tested to continuously improve the system. Here are some ideas to test your overlay/prompt:

· Button color

· Call to action

· Inline text (prepopulated text field: “Enter your email here”)

· Position/location

· Top, horizontal bar

· Single vs. double opt-in

5. Motivate referrals.

Refer-a-friend programs can be very effective in growing your opt-in list dramatically. Similar to the second recommendation above, these programs must communicate a clear benefit for doing so. Common incentives for submitting a referral include redeemable points, discounts, free shipping and account/usage upgrades.

6. Hand over control.

This method is often used to prevent opt-outs, but is still effective in keeping your list size growing. If you’re seeing a lot of opt-outs/unsubscribes, consider introducing a menu from which your visitors can opt in or out of certain types of content, frequency or both.

7. Leverage social.

Don’t overlook your social network followers as a source of email acquisitions. These individuals have already expressed interest in your business. Those who haven’t already opted in to your newsletter are far more likely to do so than an average site visitor. You can also post offers on your social channels that require an email signup.

8. Piggyback on comments.

If your site allows comments or similar engagement, consider including a signup form with the comment section. These users are already likely entering their email addresses, so they are only a small step away from opting in.

]]>http://signalinc.com/8-ways-increase-mailing-list-opt-ins/feed/0Improving Employee Recruitment and Retentionhttp://signalinc.com/improving-employee-recruitment-and-retention/
http://signalinc.com/improving-employee-recruitment-and-retention/#respondMon, 24 Oct 2016 13:00:33 +0000http://signalinc.com/?p=5982The value of communications across the employee lifecycle The competition for talent is intense – especially in thriving industries such as life sciences and biopharma – yet there are many […]

The competition for talent is intense – especially in thriving industries such as life sciences and biopharma – yet there are many smart and skilled people available for those who know how to attract them. Once these awesome people are onboard, you need to retain them to maintain morale and performance – as well as to avoid turnover costs. The good news is that communication is a critical lever for finding and keeping employees.

73% of CEOs

are concerned about finding and keeping the best talent.1

It costs 6 – 9 months’ salary

on average to replace a single employee.2

Skilled employees who fit a company’s culture are the foundation for strong organizational performance. Employees who support and reflect your core values, attitudes and behaviors have greater job satisfaction and better job performance – and are more likely to remain with you.3 The first step for supporting cultural fit is an employment brand that clearly communicates who your company is and what it’s like to work there.

Success doesn’t just rest on finding great employees – it’s about taking steps to keep them. The impact of employee turnover is significant and includes both hard and soft costs such as:4

Recruiting

Search firm fees

Onboarding and training

Lost knowledge

Overworking remaining staff

Lowered morale and productivity

In this feature, we’ll walk you through what we’ve found out about smart communications and savvy employment branding strategies to attract, hire and retain the best employees for your organization.

Some companies take cultural fit very seriously. Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh has baked core beliefs into every step of the recruiting process to find people who are “naturally living the brand” on and off the clock. Zappos pays those that turn out not to be a fit $2,000 to leave after their first week of training!5

Finding Great Employees

Your employment brand

Today’s job candidates expect a high level of transparency into potential employers. They want you to tell them what it’s like to work with your company. And they’ll follow up on social media to confirm, gathering feedback from past and current employees. Your employment brand is hugely important to conveying the value of working for your company. Great employment brands often have these characteristics:6

Creates excitement about working for your company

Emotionally engages candidates

Outlines what your company does – and why

Provides a clear, compelling reason to work for your company

3 steps to an employment brand

Gather insights. First, understand how your organization is currently perceived and what its unique employment brand attributes are. Research may include surveys, interviews with key stakeholders in the organization, or even a review of existing employee survey data.

Define how you’d like to be seen. Based on what you learn, assess your strengths and differentiators and translate them into an employee value proposition (or EVP) and core talent messaging framework.

Bring your brand to life. Step off your key messages into communications across multiple channels – both internally and externally.

What’s your employment value proposition?

Let’s spend a little more time on the employment value proposition, or your statement about the “give and get” of your employment deal – what employees will contribute and what your company offers in return.

An awesome EVP can be articulate and detailed:

Or incredibly hip and concise:

Bristol-Myers Squibb EVPAt Bristol-Myers Squibb, we’re committed to helping physicians and patients fight serious diseases. The success of our endeavor depends on people who are bold, focused, innovative and passionate – people who can work as a team, yet bring unique and individual talents to bear in a variety of areas. We want people who want to change lives.7

Your strategy should be geared externally towards target candidate pools and internally, towards existing employees. Why the internal focus? Consistently communicating the EVP to current employees helps retain and engage them. It affirms the brand to foster advocacy – and when that happens, employees become authentic champions for your company both at work and on social media (helping you attract great external candidates!).

Signal Tip:

Ensure that all those who interface with candidates – including recruiters, marketers and hiring managers – use the core message framework to represent your company consistently. When everyone sings from the same sheet of music, candidates get a consistent impression about the value of working for your company.

Make it real with videos

Cisco projects that by 2018, video will account for 84% of all online traffic!9 Keep up and create a short video to showcase what’s special about working for your company and create a positive reputation among candidates and employees.

Keeping Great Employees

Engaging employees in who you are and where you’re going

Companies employ many familiar HR programs for retaining employees – including compensation, training and development, or flexible work. These are outside the scope of this paper.

However, Entrepreneur magazine says that to keep your employees, you need a communication strategy “that’s structured to inform, emphasize and reaffirm to employees that their workplace contributions are having an impact.”10 At Signal, we’d have to agree because we’ve learned that communication is essential to retention.

5 steps to keeping employees looped in

Review employee engagement survey and other data for clues to what employees value hearing about (and from whom).

Create core messages / message framework.

Develop a phased communications calendar.

Distribute messages from executives, with follow-up messages from line managers.

It may seem like a no-brainer but you’d be surprised how many companies don’t give communications the time it needs – especially given the ROI. The more employees feel they’re in the know, the more likely they are to stay with an organization. Especially if leaders are the ones doing the communicating. People want to feel valued, be recognized for good work and they want to know where the organization is going.

Cater to your audiences

Internal communications are just marketing for employees. Just like in traditional marketing, the more you shape your message to a niche audience (site, department, geography…), the more effective it will be.11

Examples of communication topics that increase employee engagement:

Career pathing

Employees are hungry to know how they can move ahead. Do a communications campaign to teach them what they can do to get promoted and develop themselves (training and development options, career path tools, etc.)

The excitement of new strategies

Trying to integrate an acquisition? Build out a new geography? Reorganize operations? Send employees a drip-feed of communications – across many internal channels – about this new direction and how they can play a part.

Showcasing new products

Launching a new product is a great way to communicate with employees. You can leverage content already developed by marketing and spin it for the company intranet.

Distinct challenges in life sciences and biopharma

The landscape for these sectors continues to evolve at a breathtaking pace. Companies in every geography are retooling and increasing development pipelines in response to major drugs coming off patent and to meet robust demand for new therapies. At the same time, global healthcare is becoming more complex – both from a regulatory standpoint and trying to meet the demands of diverse stakeholders such as patients, physicians and healthcare systems. There is a high demand for those with the capabilities to succeed in the new environment, so it’s tough to find and keep talented people.

Tying it all Together

It’s time to up your talent game!

If you’re targeting this audience…

…consider these channels first

Early talent

Social plan: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram; outreach to university career centers

Experienced hires

Job sites, LinkedIn

Alumni

Industry conferences, magazines and other publications

Food for thought: there will always be some turnover

There are a certain number of people who have a “nomadic” personality. We’re not talking about someone who works remotely, but someone who job hops – for mental stimulation or to gain new skills and experiences.

This is more pronounced in Millenials, who tend to leave if they feel they’re no longer growing, being paid attention to or when feel that your strategy no longer aligns with their values and ideals.

Some strategies for addressing the nomads / job hoppers are to have active mentoring programs for knowledge transfer; engaging nomads as freelancers or consultants to keep the talent working for you; and negotiating with them to see what it would take to have them stay.

We’ll leave you with the thought that communication is an invaluable component of your attraction and retention programs – design these programs well and they will make a difference in your bottom line. Then stay agile, rolling with the changes in your company and industry to keep your communication fresh and stay ahead of the curve in finding and keeping great people.